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| Government facing battle in Sunday trading vote | Government facing battle in Sunday trading vote |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The government faces possible defeat on plans that could extend Sunday trading hours in England and Wales after the SNP said it would vote against them. | The government faces possible defeat on plans that could extend Sunday trading hours in England and Wales after the SNP said it would vote against them. |
| MPs will vote later on handing control of the issue to local councils - which unions and Labour say could extend Sunday opening by up to six hours. | MPs will vote later on handing control of the issue to local councils - which unions and Labour say could extend Sunday opening by up to six hours. |
| The SNP had considered abstaining in the vote, as there are no Sunday trading restrictions in Scotland. | The SNP had considered abstaining in the vote, as there are no Sunday trading restrictions in Scotland. |
| But the party now plans to vote against extending hours in England and Wales. | But the party now plans to vote against extending hours in England and Wales. |
| It claims the plans could hit shopworkers' pay in Scotland - a position described as "extraordinary" and "hypocritical" by the government. | It claims the plans could hit shopworkers' pay in Scotland - a position described as "extraordinary" and "hypocritical" by the government. |
| 'Bizarre position' | 'Bizarre position' |
| If the SNP bands together with Labour and the 20 or more Conservatives backbenchers opposed to the plans it could defeat the government in the Commons vote later. | If the SNP bands together with Labour and the 20 or more Conservatives backbenchers opposed to the plans it could defeat the government in the Commons vote later. |
| The proposed Sunday trading changes are not covered by new English Votes for English Laws provisions because other parts of the Enterprise Bill apply to Scotland. | The proposed Sunday trading changes are not covered by new English Votes for English Laws provisions because other parts of the Enterprise Bill apply to Scotland. |
| Labour is claiming it helped persuade the SNP to get behind their campaign to block the extension of Sunday trading. | Labour is claiming it helped persuade the SNP to get behind their campaign to block the extension of Sunday trading. |
| Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said the government plans, which had not been mentioned in the Conservatives' election manifesto, would lead "to the gradual erosion and diminution of workers' pay and rights across the UK, including Scotland". | Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said the government plans, which had not been mentioned in the Conservatives' election manifesto, would lead "to the gradual erosion and diminution of workers' pay and rights across the UK, including Scotland". |
| The SNP's deputy leader Stewart Hosie said Scottish workers were paid extra for working on Sundays and there were no guarantees these "premium pay" rates, worth thousands of pounds a year, would be protected if hours were extended in other parts of the UK. | The SNP's deputy leader Stewart Hosie said Scottish workers were paid extra for working on Sundays and there were no guarantees these "premium pay" rates, worth thousands of pounds a year, would be protected if hours were extended in other parts of the UK. |
| "We are relying on guarantees or not from private businesses and that simply doesn't wash when we are talking about the incomes of perhaps a third of retail employees in Scotland." | "We are relying on guarantees or not from private businesses and that simply doesn't wash when we are talking about the incomes of perhaps a third of retail employees in Scotland." |
| Conservative MP Grant Shapps, who has campaigned to relax Sunday trading laws, described the SNP's stance as "the most bizarre position I've ever heard". | Conservative MP Grant Shapps, who has campaigned to relax Sunday trading laws, described the SNP's stance as "the most bizarre position I've ever heard". |
| Mr Shapps said the Bill offered additional protections for workers, for example by reducing the amount of notice they need to give if they do not want to work on a Sunday, and he expected that businesses "may well find they have to pay a premium" to staff working during the extended hours. | Mr Shapps said the Bill offered additional protections for workers, for example by reducing the amount of notice they need to give if they do not want to work on a Sunday, and he expected that businesses "may well find they have to pay a premium" to staff working during the extended hours. |
| 'Toxic' issue | 'Toxic' issue |
| The initial relaxation of Sunday opening hours created a lot of jobs and was worth about £20bn to the British economy, he said. | The initial relaxation of Sunday opening hours created a lot of jobs and was worth about £20bn to the British economy, he said. |
| Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's two decades since these rules were first set. The internet hadn't even been invented at the time. | Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's two decades since these rules were first set. The internet hadn't even been invented at the time. |
| "We've now got a situation where people can get shopping delivered on a Sunday but you can't go into a shop and buy. It's a bit ridiculous and it's time to update these rules." | "We've now got a situation where people can get shopping delivered on a Sunday but you can't go into a shop and buy. It's a bit ridiculous and it's time to update these rules." |
| A government spokesman said: "It's a particularly extraordinary position for a party that supposedly believes in devolution of powers from Whitehall to be seeking to stand in the way of local leaders in the rest of the UK being able to choose what's right for their communities and their economies." | A government spokesman said: "It's a particularly extraordinary position for a party that supposedly believes in devolution of powers from Whitehall to be seeking to stand in the way of local leaders in the rest of the UK being able to choose what's right for their communities and their economies." |
| BBC deputy political editor James Landale said Sunday trading had long been a "toxic" issue for the Conservatives, causing a rare Commons defeat for Margaret Thatcher in 1986, when 72 Tory MPs rebelled against plans to relax restrictions - although it was knocked off the front pages by US air strikes on Libya launched from UK bases. Read more from James. | |
| Since 1994, small shops - those up to 280 sq m, or 3,000 sq ft in size - in England and Wales can open when they want to on Sundays but larger stores are restricted to six hours between 10:00 and 18:00. Retailers can be fined up to £50,000 if they break the rules. | Since 1994, small shops - those up to 280 sq m, or 3,000 sq ft in size - in England and Wales can open when they want to on Sundays but larger stores are restricted to six hours between 10:00 and 18:00. Retailers can be fined up to £50,000 if they break the rules. |
| Ministers want to give English and Welsh councils the freedom to determine opening hours in their area, arguing this will benefit High Streets struggling to compete against online retailers. The move, they argue, is also in line with changing leisure and working patterns. | Ministers want to give English and Welsh councils the freedom to determine opening hours in their area, arguing this will benefit High Streets struggling to compete against online retailers. The move, they argue, is also in line with changing leisure and working patterns. |
| There are 353 councils in England and 22 in Wales. | There are 353 councils in England and 22 in Wales. |
| Quirks of Sunday shopping | Quirks of Sunday shopping |
| To make the most of their six hours, retailers invented the idea of "browsing time". The doors of the shop open 30 minutes or so before the tills open. Shoppers could find themselves queuing inside a store with a full trolley at 09:58, waiting for the cash register to start whirring. | To make the most of their six hours, retailers invented the idea of "browsing time". The doors of the shop open 30 minutes or so before the tills open. Shoppers could find themselves queuing inside a store with a full trolley at 09:58, waiting for the cash register to start whirring. |
| Read more about browsing, extra pay, loading and no-shows | Read more about browsing, extra pay, loading and no-shows |
| The arguments over Sunday trading | The arguments over Sunday trading |
| Ahead of Wednesday's vote on the Enterprise Bill, 102 Conservative councillors voiced their support for the move urging the government to "continue with proposals to localise these decisions and help us deliver what is best for our local communities". | Ahead of Wednesday's vote on the Enterprise Bill, 102 Conservative councillors voiced their support for the move urging the government to "continue with proposals to localise these decisions and help us deliver what is best for our local communities". |
| But the proposals face stiff opposition from across the political spectrum, with critics challenging the economic rationale for relaxing the laws and arguing that Sunday should be "kept special" for family time and other pursuits, including religious observance. | But the proposals face stiff opposition from across the political spectrum, with critics challenging the economic rationale for relaxing the laws and arguing that Sunday should be "kept special" for family time and other pursuits, including religious observance. |
| Conservative MP David Burrowes, one of 21 Conservative MPs, backing an amendment to the legislation so any changes are restricted to tourist locations, told the BBC that the government needed to quickly find a way out of "the mess" it was in. | Conservative MP David Burrowes, one of 21 Conservative MPs, backing an amendment to the legislation so any changes are restricted to tourist locations, told the BBC that the government needed to quickly find a way out of "the mess" it was in. |
| The proposed changes will not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which have their own arrangement in place. | The proposed changes will not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which have their own arrangement in place. |
| Although there have never been any general trading restrictions in place in Scotland, and stores can theoretically open for as long as they like on a Sunday, the SNP said it could not support the relaxation of existing rules elsewhere in the UK. | Although there have never been any general trading restrictions in place in Scotland, and stores can theoretically open for as long as they like on a Sunday, the SNP said it could not support the relaxation of existing rules elsewhere in the UK. |